Alessandra Branca
By Susanna Salk for 1st dibs

“I was an odd child,” confesses Italian-born designer Alessandra Branca. “I often went by myself to museums and churches. I loved how it sent me to another place.” Walking the same streets as Michelangelo satiated all of Branca’s senses for both the organic and the architectural: “When you grow up in Rome, you have such magnificence all around you; it takes away any desire for superficial things. My strongest memory is being surrounded by pasta and family at a table! You realize that’s all that matters.” This granddaughter of a Vatican art historian and daughter of an artist may have felt humbled whenever she looked up at the baroque ceilings of her childhood, but she does not hesitate when it comes to creating grown up environments for her clients that don’t just provide shelter, but bring the same familial sense of comfort and joy. “My greatest pleasure is when my clients tell me they never want to leave the houses I have designed for them,” says Branca.
Now based in Chicago, this design maven came to the United States to attend college and then, once meeting her husband there, “stayed for love. And I’m still here for love.” At first thinking she would go into fashion post graduating, Branca moved to San Francisco to work at the tony I.Magnin store, but returned to the Windy City as soon as she realized that fashion was “too impermanent.” She always loved collecting antique prints but was having a hard time finding exactly what she craved, so a trip back to Rome was in order.  Upon her return and with a friend’s encouragement, she opened up a small gallery and arranged her pieces “as if it were my living room,” says Branca. “That’s the way they do it in Rome, with a kind of salon feeling, where friends can come and hang-out.”  It wasn’t long before these friends were asking Branca to help them re-create the warm, stylish rooms she so effortlessly hosted.  “Looking back, I can’t believe how I just threw myself into the task,” says Branca. “I was so young but so excited. And I still love helping people. At the very least I owe clients the chance to be themselves in their environment. When you think of design, you must think of the future and how you would like to live based on all the lessons of the past. It’s a great opportunity to reset your priorities and also to reinvent…or simply tweak!” Currently realizing design dreams for families from Chicago, to Park Avenue and Aspen, to name just a few, Branca has equally benefited by the personal bonds that have resulted over the years of intimate collaborations. “The work is still absolutely wonderful,” says Branca. “I can’t do fantasy spaces, I just don’t have that DNA. I need to have a subject in mind and requirements. So it’s important for my clients to be involved and absolutely honest with me.” Equally important to her is to give people who long for her innate style a sense of freedom when it comes to finding their own. “As everyone becomes more and more educated about design, they should be encouraged,” says Branca, who in May of 2008 opened Branca three stories (not to mention fourteen-foot ceilings), of dreamy retail space, on East Pearson street that is “Branca central” for those who crave comfort, history, style, and whimsy. “I want people to be able to come in here and shop without me. They know they are buying things I love and that I am connected to. For example, I am reinventing antiques with fresh fabrics and taking new pieces and making them unique by using antique or one of a kind textiles.” Besides furniture, other unique but soon-to-be classics like Branca-designed dishes, wine journals in acid green and velvet-bound blankets made out of recycled materials are all artfully arranged in loft and library vignettes. Just don’t expect Branca to be center stage courting customers. It’s just not her style. “I love to just go there and gift wrap. I’m always the person who likes to work at the party.”
The spotlight she does cherish is the one that shines whenever her children are around. As a tightly knit clan, they travel constantly together. Wherever they do, they always seem to find themselves draped and gathered in the rooms their mother has created to cherish them in. “As Stephen Sondheim said, ‘There are only two worthwhile things to leave behind when you depart this world of ours: children and art,’’’ says Branca. “This is what propels me.”

What Direction is Your Style Compass pointed to?

Fashion – Alberta Ferreti, Etro, Prada, Pringle,  J.Crew, Oscar de la Renta, Andrew Gn, Carolina Herrera, Allegra Hicks. I love Classics with a twist, even in the clothing I choose. These designers all mix patterns and colors. Their craftsmanship is of high quality -- and they’re collectible.

Fabrics – I enjoy a mix of textures and patterns, a mix of hi-low, such as a paisley with linen or a velvet with hemp, wonderful hand-printed linens with gorgeous silk damasks, etc...

Entertaining – I love an intimate dinner party with a few friends, and every so often a big celebration. Love to entertain where I travel ,i.e., NYC, Rome, Harbour Island….

Travel – Other than work, it is my single most important occupation. I love to travel with my children and friends. I love every destination from Sardinia to Harbour Island and look forward to going to more exotic places such as Papua and New Guinea in the future.

Color – I use color as an accent, to highlight or play off architecture very much the way an artist does…red being my favorite, of course.

Floral – As natural as possible, nothing contrived. I love one flower en masse, and I love something as simple as a terra cotta pot with basil.

Art or Design – Always buy what you love and always educate yourself. I love outsider art and artists such as Sam Taylor-Wood and Candida Hofer. I also love Flemish Renaissance paintings –- 15th-18th Century.
Designers whose work I love:  Parish Hadley, David Hicks, Mark Hampton, Renzo Mongiardino, Peter Marino and Michael Smith.

Book – I’m currently rereading and enjoying  Il Gattopardo (Sicily)

Museums – Art Institute of Chicago, Palazzo Al temps in Rome, Camondo in Paris, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Tate Modern, V&A.

Restaurant –
·         Chicago – Table 52, Avec, Follia
·         NYC – Sette Mezzo, Lupa, Amaranth
·         London – River Café, The Ivy, Daylesford Organic, Lucio’s
·         Rome – Pier Luigi, Nino, Gusto, dal Bolognese, Da Lucia
·         Paris – Les Ombres, La Ferme Saint Simon, Voltaire, Le Stresa
·         Harbour Island – Landings, The Rock House, Sip Sip (for lunch only)

Music – Anything Brazilian, Hotel Costes or Buddha Bar Series. I love old-school Barry White or Al Green. But I also enjoy Vivaldi, Verdi, Sting, Adele, and all the great interpretations of Gershwin and Cole Porter.

Shop – Colette in Paris, L’Eclaireur in Paris, Etro in Rome, 7th floor at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC, Guinevere in London, Berndt Goeckler in New York,  also H.M. Luther.

Gift – Flowers, Vintage Books, Fine Chocolates, Antique Linens. The best gifts are the ones you find and hold on to for that special occasion so you’ve bought for the person in mind rather than just to fill the occasion’s need!